The Mole (Australia season 1)
| The Mole (Australia season 1) | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Seven Network |
| Original release | 27 February – 24 April 2000 |
| Season chronology | |
The first season of the Australian version of The Mole aired between 27 February and 24 April 2000, on Seven Network. It took place mostly in Tasmania and was hosted by actor Grant Bowler.
In this, the first season of The Mole, the players only knew ahead of time that they had applied to, and been accepted to appear on, a new reality game show. The knowledge that one among them was a traitor and working to sabotage their efforts wasn't revealed until just before the first round of gameplay began. Hundreds of people responded to a newspaper advertisement asking for applicants, and from this advertisement came the nine genuine contestants. The Mole was hired separately, though it was revealed during the season finale that he was artificially put through the rigors of the application process, so that he would be able to naturally talk about the experience with the others. The maximum prize for the season was $200,000, and this was the only season where the announced maximum and the actual maximum were the same. In contrast to all subsequent seasons, the events of each episode were referred to as "challenges" rather than "assignments."
In the years that followed, Alan Mason became the adjudicator on the Australian version of The Weakest Link and the runner-up, Abby Coleman, is now a radio announcer on B105 FM in Brisbane.
Parachute Jumping: After meeting for the first time at Melbourne's Essendon Airport and learning that one among them was the Mole, the players were presented with the challenge of flying to Tasmania and landing before the plane did - by tandem parachute jumping. If all ten of them jumped, the group would win $10,000. Several of them were nervous, particularly Josephine and James, but all ten jumped and the money was won.
Luggage Repack: After the parachute jumping, Abby, Ben, Jan, Patrick, and Rocky were taken straight to the group's hotel, while the other five were stopped and told to repack all ten players' luggage into backpacks. Whatever was left behind would be lost to that person for the remainder of their time on the show. Later, at the hotel, the host asked each of the five who were taken there straight away to predict an item that the others had kept out of their backpack (left it behind). If all of them guessed a specific, correct item, the group would win $5,000. The host had a video recording showing all of the items that were sent home, and each of them guessed a correct item, winning the money.
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